1,271 words, complete @AO3 by Hermit9
Genre/What to expect: Exploration of Malfoy family relationships with some fluff
Rating: G
Pairings: Gen
Suitable for fandom blind readers? Somewhat, although knowledge of the source material would better the experience.
Draco Malfoy and his mother, post-series.
Reviewed by: Concept101
Draco Malfoy, in the Harry Potter books, is an antagonist to Harry Potter and a character whose complexity often goes woefully underappreciated.
From an entitled brat, to a teenager angry with the world around him, to an individual conflicted in his beliefs, to someone who learned to trust in his conscience and remakes himself as an individual, Draco Malfoy’s many portrayals through the Harry Potter story is one of the best done redemption arcs I have ever seen.
And it is the latter of those portrayals that Hermit9 manages to nail so well in this one-shot beginning to her Crafts’verse series.
The far wall was stacked with crates and rigid translucent, muggle-made, plastic tubs. Strips of parchments with his mother’s beautiful calligraphy labelled everything.
As soon as you start the story, two things will be obvious to you.
Draco’s lukewarm dislike of muggles, a viewpoint ingrained into him since childhood that he is trying to shake off, is one of them. The other is his love for his mother Narcissa. It is delightfully subtle how Hermit9 portrays Draco’s admiration for her. Every thought he has of her or something related to her speaks of a gentle tone, almost as if you can close your eyes and imagine Draco smiling softly as he thinks of her.
It had started, of course, because of Potter.
This one line tells you more than enough about the relations between the childhood nemeses. Despite the passing nature of Harry’s presence on page, his influence on the events of the story is felt throughout in the form of Narcissa’s new favourite pastime.
Astoria Malfoy as Draco’s wife was done very well by the author. Her dialogue flowed well, and her words about the passing nature of flowers as a gift are a highlight of the story. After reading the story, if I ever had to describe her in two words, it would be ‘nonchalantly wise’.
Yet another character making a brief appearance was Hermione Granger, an unlikely ally to Draco in his quest to satiate his mother’s curiosities. The way she talked about Narcissa having been defined by those around her for her entire life spoke subtly of her having been through a similar experience in her past.
(I wanted more of this Hermione Granger, and apparently the author did too because she is writing a sequel revolving around the relationship between Draco and Hermione. But that is a discussion for another day)
‘The Crafts’ is a story not defined by plot, but by its succinctly written characters, who despite being on the page for mere lines, make their influence felt throughout. It is a story of relationships. It is a story of a broken past and a hopeful future. It is a story about rebuilding.
But at the root of it all, it’s a story about a mother and her son.
One worth reading.
Review examples from AO3
Cute!
Also I was thrilled to see you included the signification for the flowers as a note. I was curious about it and it shows you researched the combination beforehand ^-^
I adore the scene where Astoria explains the meaning of giving flowers to Draco. There was something just so homey, so idyllic about that scene, I really, really loved it. Like a little snippet into their relationship.
A few grammatical issues with the dialogue section, but overshadowed by how lovely Draco and his mother’s relationship is. Him going out of his way to make her happy, it’s just lovely. He really, really does love his mother, and I enjoyed seeing their lives post-war and seeing how they amuse themselves and put themselves back together. Also, loving that it’s Hermione who helps Draco buy the flowers. I bet Ron grumbled about that!
Writing. Reading. Dreaming. 